I think I'm in love. We were getting 10-20 robocalls a day and I was on the verge of getting rid of my landline or punching someone. My phone company wanted $8/month to add the screening feature, which didn't stop every robocall. In the five days we have been using this phone, we haven't received one robocall. Not one. The instruction sheet is a little intimidating, but the phone wasn't that hard to set up. You have a couple of options when screening calls. I selected the option of requesting the caller to speak his/her name and press the pound key. If the caller doesn't do that, the call doesn't ring through. It has a built-in answering machine (another extra charge from my for-profit phone provider). I will update this review if I fall out of love, but so far I'm happy.
Update: While my phone company wanted $8 a month to screen calls, it is also already charging me over $100/year for caller I.D. When I had the phone company remove this feature, the AT&T phone would no longer Smart Block calls. Don't ask me why, it just doesn't. Silly me--I thought Smart Call Blocker would screen any incoming calling that weren't in my directory. I still like the phone; I don't like that I have to pay my phone company an additional charge for caller I.D.
I have been using a Panasonic system with a basic call block function and a 250 number memory. It only took a couple of years to fill that up! Then if I want to block a number I needed to remove a previous blocked number first. So that inspired me to look around for a new system and I spotted this AT&T model with a much more sophisticated, customizable call block feature; and it will store up to 1000 blocked numbers!
The first thing you have to do is choose one of the 5 configurations for call blocking
1. Allow all calls except those on the block list.
2. Screen any call from a number not saved in the Directory, Allow list, or Star name list. The caller will be prompted to announce their name and press #.
3. Screen only calls that do not display a phone number. The caller will be prompted to announce their name and press #.
4. Screen robocalls only. All callers will be prompted to press # to ring through.
5. Block calls that do not display a phone number, and send any calls from numbers not saved in the Directory, Allow list, or Star name list to the answering system.
You can also manually add a number to the block list and from a caller ID.
I chose to use option #5 and needed to spend some time completing the Directory, Allow and Star name list entries to make sure all the calls I want to get through are able to. For the rest; if it’s important they will leave a message.
The phone will ring once when an unassigned number calls before it goes to the answering system. You do have the option to screen the call from a handset if desired. It won’t ring at all for anonymous callers.
The handsets have a dedicated call block button you can use while on a call. Once you press the call block button and confirm the block it will announce; “The number you are calling is not accepting your call. Please hang up”.
Annoying: The system will record empty messages fairly consistently if the caller does not hang up right away after the announcement starts. The 10 ring tones vary from,” I could live with that”, to “Please make it stop”.
The system has been working like a charm and I’m not bothered at all with unwanted calls anymore. I am using this with VOIP service.
I have focused on the call blocking, but this phone system has a lot of handy features including “Push to talk” to use like a two way radio. Included in the box is a 110 page “Abridged” user’s manual. There is an even more detailed manual available online at the manufacture web site. I find it helpful to look at owner’s manuals online when researching products to determine if the item will fit my needs.
Even though I'm on a Do Not Call list, I get at least 5 calls per day from scam callers, etc. sometimes multiple calls per day from the same phony number. Since I bought this phone system, it's blocked 100% of them!!!!!! By reading the instruction booklet, and not allowing calls from unknown numbers, private numbers, etc., it doesn't even ring through! Anyone who is legit (and not a robot!), can simply press a key to allow them to ring through and/or leave a message. Then (rather than try to pre-program in everyone I know), I can use the caller ID, copy the number, and add it to my directory! I LOVE this! I don't have a VOIP system, which would have allowed me to do NO MO ROBO (make sure to try this if you have VOIP); so this new phone system has saved my sanity! The scammers even can make it appear that the call is coming from my local area -- SO ANNOYING! No more. HOORAY!
REVISED REVIEW
Initially gave this a one star because of poor battery life BUT after a week of using it the issue resolved itself. Battery life between charges is very satisfactory...left it off charger for two full days and it was still at nearly full charge. The CALL BLOCKER WORKS GREAT! Phone is installed on a regular landline and the one button call blocker has saved so much time and aggravation. One live spam caller begged me to not block her; evidently the call block button emits a tone on the callers end and the block function cut her off mid-sentence. Gotta love that! The call blocker function alone is worth the price.
Initial Review:
Charged it 16 hours before using and the battery depleted in less than 8 hours. Happened to have 2 new batteries on hand and exactly the same thin happened with those. Loved the call blocking feature- that was almost worth the price and is the reason I kept it.
Awesome Call Blocker. I bought this phone system for the smart call blocking feature at Sam's Club for $50 with 3 handsets. I bought 2 sets to get a total of 6 hand phones and joined them on one base set. I had owned the Panasonic system but ran out of call blocking space when it reached 250 blocked annoying calls. What's great about this call blocking system is that you can input the telephone numbers of the people you want calls from and the system will screen the unwanted calls not programmed for you where you can decide if you want to block them for good. I have peace and quiet once again in my home with no more robo calls or solicitors. There are other good call blocking options but this is the setup I had to have. The smart call blocking feature surpasses my expectations so I am very pleased with my purchase. This phone has other good features but that's of little interest to me. This system will block up to one thousand numbers! Love it!
Feature Product
- Digital Answering system with voice guide records up to 22 minutes
- HD audio with Equalizer for customized audio
- Backlit keypad and high-contrast LCD
- Caller ID records past 50 names and numbers
- Smart call Blocker saves up to 1, 000 names and numbers
Description
See, hear and make calls with ease with the AT&T CL82207 deck 6.0 expandable Answering system with smart call Blocker and unsurpassed range. With this system, you can say goodbye to unwanted calls waking you up in the middle of the night or tying up the line. Robocalls are automatically blocked from ever ringing through-even the first time. You can also Permanently blacklist any number you want with one touch. The AT&T CL82207 Answering system is a reliable cordless system that brings you long range, HD audio and extra features like caller ID announce and Push-to-Talk for effortless calls from any room in your home. Plus, the large buttons and extra-large screen make it easy to see and dial calls. Thanks to the built-in digital Answering system, can record up to 22 minutes of incoming messages, outgoing announcements, and memos to help you stay organized.
As phome setup manuals go, this one has nearly 100 pages of overly-verbose instructions. Setting this phone system up the way you want it to behave is not for the impatiient. But once you get the hang of it, you're good to go. This phone has many good features.
So far, it does everything as promised, but, like most phones with plenty of features, pressing the Menu button more times than you want to in order to access the feature you want to get to seems to be the standard.
What's Good:
-- Everything seems to be working as promised.
-- I love the block feature. I dropped Panasonic this time around because of the 1000 blocked numbers feature on this set.
-- The handsets have some weight to them unlike some other phone systems, which is a good thing. They also are a decent size.
--The "Star" list is a new feature that allows you to identify businesses or medical providers who Robo-call phone reminders of upcoming appointments. Since the caller extention numbers often change, the Star list allows you to enter the name that shows up on caller ID without entering a number.
--You can set up an Allow list. These are numbers you want to allow to ring through, but you don't particularly want them taking up space in your directory.
What's Not So Good
-- The handset chargers are way too light and tip over easily when a handset is seated. Fear of a handset plunging to the floor and breaking into pieces has promped me to place the chargers away from any activity or vibrations, which is inconvenient, but not the end of the world.
- The reddish color was probably not a good choice for backlighting. I find that it has a glare and find myself moving the phone around in my hand to see the text letters on the buttons.
-- Annoyance-Alert: The ringer tones range from Awful to Terrible to Horrible. The choices seem to be an afterthought to an otherwise good system Let's face it, barely tolerable ringer tones are a daily-annoyance, so whomever selected the choices on this phone system should be taken out to the company woodshed and flogged. But the only punishment I can offer is a reduction in rating from a 5 to a 4. But, hey, at least I've done my part......
Top quality phone with many features. The call blocker is great and fun to use - just answer the annoying call and when they start talking, just push the call block button, a message comes on the screen and asks if you really want to block this call, then a push of the select button and it is bye bye annoying caller forever. It is so much fun I can't wait for them to call.
The sound quality is great on both ends. I notice the difference on the first use. The screen is large and very clear. The ring volume can be set with different tones. It announces the callers as well so you don't have to look at the screen. You can input a directory of frequently called numbers and much more.
My wife loves the quiet button. She is a cat napper. She can set the quiet button to silence the phones for 1 to 12 hours. Once the quiet button is set, none of the phones will ring for the set time, the calls go directly to voice mail. Once the timer is up, the phones come on again. Having dinner with friends or watching a movie and don't want to be bothered. Dancing or wrestling with the wife - Set the quiet button.
This is the phone to get.
For DAYS, I researched home phone systems and finally narrowed it down to this model and the Panasonic KX-TGE433B. We needed one with an answering system and thought a call blocker would be great, too, especially since we have a real problem with marketing calls on our landline. However, the Smart Call Blocker instructions seemed too complicated so I was leery about purchasing this model. But ultimately, we decided on this AT&T model. And WE LOVE IT! The Smart Call Blocker isn't that hard to program after all. I set it up so that people who aren't on our Allow List just have to push the # key, then they get right through. Believe it or not, I almost miss the marketers! LOL! Our old phones went back to 2002 and '03 so this system is a huge upgrade for us technologically speaking. Love it love it love it!
A quick review after a thorough read of the manual and a few days of use: First, every phone system should incorporate smart call blocking. I now feel that I can keep my land line and ONLY get calls that I want. That's fantastic. The phone system itself also is generally excellent -- it looks good (subjective, I know), the buttons press well and are backlit, the earpiece and speaker volumes are strong and adjustable, and the various options and menus are pretty well labeled. Having said all that, there are a few annoyances that keep this from getting a 5th star.
1. The biggest problem is that you CANNOT record your own SCREENING message (not to be confused with answering machine message, which you're free to customize as you want). The system gives you a choice of two pre-recorded messages that, in essence, says your calls are being screened by smart call blocker (at least it doesn't say AT&T!) -- and, in one, you can record your own name or number in the middle of it, but that's it. I really would prefer being able to say something more personal (in my own, as opposed to a computer's voice) and reassuring -- i.e., we're screening our calls, if you press # you'll be connected and you'll only have to do this once. This, to me, is a serious shortcoming and it almost made me return the entire system. But I did manage a sort of hack. The message says: "Your calls to "this number" are being screened by Smart Call Blocker. Please say your name and then press the pound key" -- you can customize the words "this number" with basically anything you want, although they're expecting you to say your name. But I recorded: "[my name], only for the first time you encounter this system". Not perfect, but a bit better in my book.
2. There is a Directory and an Allow List -- if you enter numbers on these lists, they won't be screened. Great, right? Yes, but....the Directory is limited to 50 entries -- this is the more useful list because you can easily search names and use it for dialing. The Allow List gives you 200 entries, which added to the 50, should give you enough for whitelisting, but why make it this tight? By contrast, the Block List gives you 1000 entries, but my guess is that with robocallers and spoofers, folks will be going for the whitelisting functions more, as who wants to keep blocking every spoofed number -- so, for my usage, the storage amounts are misallocated and/or too stingy (at least for the Directory).
3. There is a one press "Quiet" button -- which is great, and lets you silent the ENTIRE system for a specified period of 1-12 hours. Very easy. But it automatically turns on the system's answering machine, which we don't need (and then have to remember to turn off) because we use our voice provider's voicemail. Plus, what I really want is a one button "Turn Off the Ringer on this Handset", so if I'm sleeping in one room, others can still hear the system ring. You can do this, but you have to dig down into the menu settings -- Ringers/Ringer Volume/toggle volume all the way off/Select. And reverse the same to turn it back on.
4. When the phone is sitting in its charging base, it has a bright red charging light which stays on, even when fully charged. Not really a problem, but a tiny bit too bright in the bedroom.
As I say, these are "annoyances." Hopefully AT&T will improve future iterations of this system (there doesn't seem to be any way to flash a firmware update unfortunately). But if they don't bother you too much (and, at the end of the day, I'm keeping the system), it's a great way to recapture control of, and sanity with, your home phone from all the robocallers/spoofers.
This is the best blocking system I have tried yet. It gives you several options for blocking but the best by far is the "white listing" aspect. You enter into the directory all those numbers you want to get through to you. If a caller is not in your directory the call goes to the answering system directly. No ring at all. If you have a message from someone you want to receive calls from in the future, it is easy to enter them onto an allow list or the main directory. If you get a message from an unwanted caller that number can easily be added to a block list and then they don't even get through to voice mail on future calls. If you want to get emergency alerts you will need to get the numbers each agency uses for mass notification calls and add that to the allow list. My phone has never been quieter.
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